The first presidential debate takes place in Denver on Wednesday with a focus on domestic issues, including President Obama’s unpopular health-care law. Obamacare imposes numerous tax increases on Americans, totaling more than $500 billion over a 10-year period. According to Heritage’s analysis, these higher tax rates on income and investment …
The movie “Won’t Back Down” opened yesterday in more than 2,500 theaters across America. The film brings to the big screen the highly charged issue of education reform by showcasing how two committed parents take on the establishment. With a cast of stars, including Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, the …
A nuclear-armed Iran was a key topic of discussion at the U.N. General Assembly this week, including speeches by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama. While both leaders agreed that “a nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained,” there are key differences in approaching …
Over the past few days, new strikes and riots have convulsed Greece and Spain. Conventional wisdom (including from economist Paul Krugman) suggests that cuts in government spending—often described as “austerity”—are a primary cause of the economic downturn in these nations and across much of Europe. This “demand deficiency” hypothesis leads …
In recent weeks, liberal politicians, editorialists, and policy analysts have vigorously attacked reform of Medicare based on a defined contribution financing. In fact, this approach to reforming Medicare has a long bipartisan tradition, going back to the 1980s and Representatives Richard Gephardt (D–MO) and David Stockman (R–MI). In fact, much …
Recent news about the Obama Administration’s divestitures from AIG and GM—in some cases at a loss of billions of dollars—stands as a reminder of the privilege and cronyism that permeates our economy. As favoritism grows with the size of the government, economic freedom continues to be eroded by policies like …
Theodore Roosevelt, America’s 26th President, famously declared that the country ought to “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Good advice, especially in light of recent events. However, “when it came to the decibel level, [TR] did not always follow his own advice,” quips Jean Yarbrough in the latest “Makers …
The debate about former Governor Mitt Romney’s (R-MA) tax plan has reached a fevered pitch. In fact, The Washington Post published two articles (here and here) about it. The second repeated the confusion surrounding a poorly understood policy known as “step-up.” Recently, I weighed in to correct the false statement …
